If snow doesn't come to Kyoto - Sapporo （札幌）

This has been an unusual winter in some ways. One of them is that it almost didn't snow in Kyoto... at least not enough to cover the ground for me to go around taking pictures.

In that case, what would become of my winter pictures in 2009?

Fear not. There was already something in my sleeve. An old wish to tell the truth.

Since I went to Himeji in 2005 I wanted to go see the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri. Still, when in Himeji I didn't have the money to do it, and last year I had my entrance exam. This year I had some JAL mileage about to expire - thus another reason to avoid postponing this trip any longer.

Another helping factor was hearing from a friend that some Brazilian exchange students were planning to gather a group to go see the festival. Thanks to that, I also got a group to have fun with and some local intel - including hotel reservation - from students living in Sapporo (Thanks Erica, Arlete and those who helped organizing the whole thing!).

Therefore, from February 6th to 9th I went to Sapporo to see the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri with a group from many different prefectures in Japan (from Yokohama to Miyazaki) of Brazilians and friends.


Those were intense four days. Even though I didn't go anywhere out of Sapporo, all four days were well spent. Especially because it's not a place simple to revisit if you are a poor student.

The "locals" said that it almost didn't snow prior to our arrival. And then we came bringing a small snowstorm with us. Nevertheless, there were periods of good weather that fortunately happened mostly while we were sightseeing.

Our group splitted in many occasions; and that was fortunate since people had different interests and it's simpler to coordinate a smaller group. The places where I've been were:

• Odori koen: The most famous area of the Yuki Matsuri. The place where the large sculptures are, although there were small ones as well. There are many companies and groups interested in obtaining a space to create a snow sculpture there. My friends in Sapporo managed to participate (together with a group) in creating one under a company's name. Some sculptures worth of note were one promoting Tokyo's bid to host the 2016 Olympics and a Disney themed sculpture built by the Japanese Self-Defense Force. There were also Totoros, Ponyos and other icons. Odori was the first place I went; and I went all four days there.




• Susukino: Not far from Odori, Susukino is a night district - or a "red-light district" if you prefer. During Yuki Matsuri, the area has many ice sculptures (while the ones in Odori are usually on snow).



• Tsudome: Nickname for the Sapporo Community Dome, the area was designed to hold one of the three sites (the other two are Odori koen and Susukino) for the Yuki Matsuri that was previously alocated in Sapporo Satoland from 2006 to 2008 and in Makomanai SDF base before 2006. Although there are some sculptures, the Tsudome area has an emphasis in providing playing space for children (in heart also).



• Mt. Okura Ski Jump Stadium: No, no one is good or crazy enough to try a ski jump. Instead, there was an event on the day where, among other activities, we could slide down the ramp on a tire tube. I didn't do it, but it's also possible to go to the top and have a view of Sapporo.



• Moiwayama: That's an excellent place to go up the ropeway and see the city of Sapporo from above. Although the view is beautiful day or night, watching the sunset and the first hours of the night is a personal recommendation.




• Kaitaku no Mura: Translated as "Historical Village of Hokkaido", the complex concentrates typical buildings from all over Hokkaido from the period when development of the region was carried on a large scale. Since that started during the Meiji period, most constructions have a certain European atmosphere, different than the usual traditional Japanese structures. We could also try jyagamochi ("potato mochi") and something that I guess was amazake.



• Sapporo Beer Museum: Hokkaido is the birthplace of beer in Japan, and Sapporo Beer one of the oldest and most popular brands. The museum itself tells the history of beer and the process of making it. Unfortunately, we didn't arrive in time to enter the museum. Our real objective lies in a different part of the complex: Sapporo Beer Gerten with an all-you-can-eat sheep meat Genghis Khan (Mongolian BBQ).



• Shiroi Koibito Park: Shiroi Koibito is a famous brand of chocolate based in Hokkaido; and the park tells the history of chocolate, has a museum with nostalgic toys from various countries, allows visitors to try making cookies themselves, and has a buffet of cakes. Arriving at the place, some people may have a feeling of approaching Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

Those who wish to see more pictures, check my Picasa album.